Sign-making kit



Aug. 29, 1967 J. SILVERSTEIN SIGN-MAKING KIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 9. 1964 dds m? Q i a m r 5%: M w U m Aug. 29, 1967 J. SILVERSTEIN SIGN-MAKING KIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 9, 1964 IVE United States Patent Office 3,338,395 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 409,680 12 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) The present invention relates to a sign-making kit, and more particularly to a kit which can be used to make display signs quickly and inexpensively.

Heretofore, most of the display signs, such as those used by small retail merchants, have been either printed or hand-lettered. Both of these methods are relatively expensive and more importantly, time consuming. Most individual retail merchants cannot justify the purchase of even the smallest available printing press, and therefore must engage either a job printer or an artist and then wait anywhere from two days to three weeks for the signs to be made.

While several kits consisting of boxes of reusable characters which can be fitted onto a specially designed sign board have been proposed, these are generally unsatisfactory not only because they are initially expensive and because they make cumbersome, clumsy looking signs, but also because inevitably some of the characters will become lost and the characters of different genera will become mixed. Time is also lost in using reusable characters for making signs as each sign, after being used, must be dismantled and the characters saved.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved signmaking kit from which neat appearing and attractive signs can be made by the person needing them and without appreciable delay.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved sign-making kit which is relatively inexpensive and from which signs can be made that economically can be thrown away after use.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved sign-making kit which is relatively inexpensive and from which disposable, neat appearing and attractive signs can be made.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved sign-making kit from which disposable, neat appearing and attractive signs can be made by the person desiring such signs without delay.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved sign-making kit of this invention having a preferred selection of sign-making indicia thereon;

FIG. 2 s a plan view of the backing board of the improved sign-making kit of this invention illustrating one method by which the supply of sheets having sign-making indicia thereon can be attached to the backing board;

FIG. 3 is a bottom-side perspective view of a pad of sheets having sign-making indicia thereon, such as those shown in FIG. 1, and an adhesive coating on the bottomside thereof by which the pad is secured to the backing board in a manner alternative to the means shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view of a sign made by the sign-making kit of this invention.

In the broader aspects of this invention, there is provided a sign-making kit comprising a plurality'of sheets arranged on and attached to the surface of a board which is made of a relatively stiff material, each of these sheets having sign-making indicia thereon and a size determined by the size of said indicia.

Referring to the drawings, and more specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown the sign-making kit of this invention which generally comprises a backing board 10, a cover 12, and a plurality of pads 14.

Backing 'board 10 is rectangular in shape and made of relatively stilf sheet material. In the preferred embodiment, backing board 10 is made of cardboard or a like material. Cover 12 is relatively flexible and secured to backing board 10 at a longitudinal edge thereof, the cover being movable away from backing board 10 and from a position in which it overlies and is in registry with backing board 10 so as to expose an inside surface 16 of backing board 10.

Each pad 14 comprises a plurality of identical sheets 18, which are secured together at one edge thereof, by conventional pad-making methods such as by an adhesive. Sheets 18 of each of said pads are rectangular in shape and have sign-making indicia 0n the upwardly facing surfaces thereof and an adhesive layer, preferably of the moisture-sensitive type, on the downwardly facing surfaces thereof. Sheets 18 of the same pad 14 have the same indicia thereon; however, sheets 18 of different pads 14 have different indicia thereon. Each pad 14 has a bottom sheet 20 by which the pad 14 is attached to the backing board 10. In specific embodiments of this invention, bottom sheets 20 may be somewhat thicker than sheets 18 and may also be made of a material similar to backing board 10.

Pads 14 are arranged and attached to surface 16 of backing board 10 in a plurality of spaced-apart rows and in edge-to-edge relationship with the other pads 14 in the same rows. In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, there are five such rows which are given identifying numerals 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30. Rows 22, 24 are adjacent each other and have the pads 14 arranged in side-to-side relation, and the rows 26, 28, 30 are adjacent each other and have the pads 14 arranged in end-to-end relation. Further, the pads 14 comprising rows 22, 24 have indicia 32 thereon which are either numerals, punctuation or symbols, in contrast to rows 26, 28, 30 which have words or word abbreviations thereon. Also the pads 14 in row 22 have indicia on the sheets 18 thereof which are identical, but of a color different from, the indicia on the pads 14 in the row 24 and the same column.

In each row, however, the indicia 32 on the sheets 18 of the pads 14 are spaced from the edges of sheets 18 a distance relative to the size of and corresponding to the horizontal and vertical spacing desired for the indicia 32 thereon when said indicia is placed in the print of a sign as shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, the indicia 32 of the sheets 18 of rows 22, 24 are respectively spaced from the ends of sheets 18 a distance corresponding to one-half the desired vertical spacing between adjacent rows of print and are spaced from the sides of sheets 18 a distance corresponding to one-half a desired horizontal spacing between adjacent indicia 32 of the same row of print. Similarly, but in contrast, the indicia 32 of the sheets 18 of the rows 26, 28, 30 are spaced from the ends of the sheets 18 a distance corresponding to onehalf the desired horizontal spacing of the indicia of the same row of print and are spaced from the sides of the sheets a distance corresponding to one-half the desired vertical spacing between adjacent rows of print. Thus, the size of each of the sheets 18 is determined by the size of the desired spacing of the indicia 32 thereon.

Now referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there are shown two alternative means, respectively, for attaching the pads 14 to the backing board as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 there is shown a backing board 10 having a plurality of pockets 34 formed therein which communicate with the surface 16 at an edge thereby forming slits 36 which are respectively aligned at the tops of rows 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, in end-to-end relationship. In this embodiment, bottom sheets 20 of the respective pads 14 are inserted into the pockets 34 through the slits 36 thereby attaching the pads 14 to the backing board 10 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a pad 14 which has the outwardly facing surface of the bottom sheet 20 thereof .coated with an adhesive material by which the pads 14 can be secured to the backing board 10 in a like arrangement. In the preferred embodiment of the pads 14 shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive coating is of the pressure-sensitized type.

In operation, the sign-making kit of this invention is used to make a sign such as that shown in FIG. 4, by selecting the proper size sign board 38 and the proper sheets 18 on which the desired indicia is imprinted, and by arranging the selected sheets 18 in edge-to-edge relationship in both a vertical and a horizontal direction. In this manner, a neat appearing and attractive looking sign can be made without any concern for the appropriate spacing between indicia by merely putting the sheets 18 in edge-to-edge relation, the appropriate spacing between adjacent indicia of the same row and between rows of print being thereby achieved. Therefore the sign maker need only concern himself with arranging the sheets 18 along a straight line and with centering the print attractively on the sign board 38.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sign-making kit comprising a relatively stiff sheet material having a front surface, a relatively flexible cover secured to said board at a rectilinear edge thereof, said cover being movable away from said board from a position overlying and in registry with said surface of said board, a plurality of pads of different dimensions each pad comprising a plurality of identical sheets secured together at one edge thereof, said sheets of each of said pads being rectangular in shape and having a sign-making indicia on the upwardly facing surfaces thereof and an adhesive layer on the downwardly facing surfaces thereof, means attaching said pads to said surface in spaced-apart rows, said indicia being spaced from the edges of said sheets of each of said pads a :distance relative to the size of and corresponding to the horizontal and vertical spacing required of said indicia thereon when said sheets are positioned in both horizontal and vertical edge-to-edge relationship to others of said sheets in composing the print of a sign, thereby determining the length and width of said sheets by the size of said indicia thereon.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein said adhesive is moisturesensitizable.

3. The kit of claim 1 wherein said indicia are of several different genera, and said indicia of the same genus are in the same of said rows.

4. The kit of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a bottom sheet of each of said pads having an adhesive coat on the outwardly facing surface thereof.

5. The kit of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a plurality of pockets formed in said backing board, said pockets communicating with said surface of said board at one edge of said pocket forming a plurality of slits through each of which the bottom sheet of one of said pads may be inserted and positioned in said pockets.

6. A sign-making kit comprising a plurality of pads of different dimensions arranged on and attached to a surface of a backing board of relatively stiff material, each of said pads comprising a plurality of sheets with indicia thereon, said sheets of each of said pads having a size determined by the size of said indicia thereon, whereby when sheets selected from a plurality of said pads are backing board of arranged in edge-to-edge relation while other sheets selected from a plurality of said pads are arranged in edgeto-edge relation with each other and in end-to-end relation with certain of said first-named sheets, the indicia on all of said sheets will be uniformly spaced from each other.

7. A sign-making kit comprising a backing board of relatively stiff material, a plurality of pads of different dimensions each pad comprising a plurality of identical sheets secured together at one edge thereof, said sheets of each of said pads being rectangular in shape and having a sign-making indicia on the upwardly facing surfaces thereof and an adhesive layer on the downwardly facing surfaces thereof, said pads being arranged and attached to a surface of said board in a plurality of spaced-apart rows, a first group of said rows being adjacent each other and having said pads therein arranged in side-to-side relation, the remaining of said rows being adjacent each other and having said pads therein arranged in end-to-end relation, the indicia of said sheets comprising the respective pads of said first group of rows being spaced from the ends of said sheets a distance corresponding to one-half the desired vertical spacing between rows of print and being spaced from the sides of said sheets a distance corresponding to one-half the desired horizontal spacing between adjacent indicia of the same row of print, the indicia of said sheets comprising the respective pads .of said remaining rows being spaced from the ends of said sheets of distance corresponding to one-half the desired horizontal spacing between adjacent indicia of the same row of print and being spaced from the sides of said sheets a distance corresponding to one-half the desired vertical spacing between rows of print, thereby determining the size of each of said sheets by the size and desired spacing of said indicia thereon from the other indicia in print.

8. The kit of claim 7 wherein said first group of rows comprises pads with indicia on the sheets thereof which are of genera different from the indicia on the remaining of said sheets.

9. The kit of claim 7 wherein said first group of rows comprises pads having numerals, punctuations and symbols on the sheets thereof and said remaining rows comprise pads having words and word abbreviations on the sheets thereof.

10. The kit of claim 7 wherein one row of said first group of rows comprising pads which have indicia on the sheets thereof which are respectively identical but of a color different from the indicia on said pads of a second roW of said first group and the same column.

11. A sign-making kit comprising a backing board having a surface, a plurality of sheets of different dimensions having sign-making indicia on one side thereof and an adhesive layer on the other side thereof, said indicia being spaced from the edges of said sheets a distance relative to the size and the required horizontal and vertical spacing of said indicia thereon when said sheets are positioned in both horizontal and vertical edge-to-edge relationship to others of said sheets in composing the print of a sign, thereby determining the size of said sheets by the size of said indicia thereon, and means removably attaching said sheets having like indicia thereon to said board surface in an overlying manner thereby forming a plurality of stacks of said last-mentioned sheets.

12. A sign-making kit comprisising a backing board, a plurality of sheets of different dimensions having signmaking indicia on one side thereof and an adhesive layer on the other side thereof, said indicia on a portion of said sheets being spaced from the ends thereof a distance corresponding to one-half the desired vertical spacing between rows of print and being spaced from the sides thereof a distance corresponding to one-half the desired horizontal spacing between adjacent indica of the same row of print, said indicia on the remaining portion of said sheets being spaced from the ends thereof a distance coring the sheets having like indicia thereon to said board in an overlying manner thereby forming a plurality of stacks of said last-mentioned sheets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Segall.

Bode.

Welch.

Ropp 40-125 Bulk 40124 X Goodman 206-56 10 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,338,395 August 29, 1967 Julian L. Silverstein It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

line 42, for "punctuations" read punctuation Column 4, line 47, for "comprising" read comprises column 5,

read the line 1, for "of" Signed and sealed this 30th day of July 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. A SIGN-MAKING KIT COMPRISING A BACKING BOARD OF RELATIVELY SITFF SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A FRONT SURFACE, A RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE COVER SECURED TO SAID BOARD AT A RECTILINEAR EDGE THEREOF, SAID COVER BEING MOVABLE AWAY FROM SAID BOARD FROM A POSITION OVERLYING AND IN REGISTRY WITH SAID SURFACE OF SAID BOARD, A PLURALITY OF PADS OF DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS EACH PAD COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF IDENTICAL SHEET SECURED TOGETHER AT ONE EDGE THEREOF, SAID SHEETS OF EACH OF SAID PADS BEING RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE AND HAVING A SIGN-MAKING INDICIA ON THE UPWARDLY FACING SURFACES THEREOF AND AN ADHESIVE LAYER ON THE DOWNWARDLY FACING SURFACES THEREOF, MEANS ATTACHING SAID PADS TO SAID SURFACE IN SPACED-APART ROWS, SAID INDICIA BEING SPACED FROM THE EDGES OF SAID SHEETS OF EACH OF SAID PADS A DISTANCE RELATIVE TO THE SIZE OF AND CORRESPOND TO THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SPACING REQUIRED OF SAID INDICIA THEREON WHEN SAID SHEETS ARE POSITIONED IN BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL EDGE-TO-EDGE RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS OF SAID 